ISE researchers to play a significant role in transforming American’s energy economy
During President Obama’s visit to campus he announced that NC State will lead a $140 million advanced manufacturing institute, the Next Generation Power Electronics Innovation Institute – located on Centennial Campus, which will unite five universities, 18 companies and the Department of Energy (DOE) in an effort to transform energy efficiency in everything from microwaves to military satellites.
NC State University’s FREEDM Systems Center, one of two National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Centers, will house the new Next Generation Power Electronics Innovation Institute on Centennial Campus.
At the heart of the Next Generation Power Electronics Innovation Institute is the development of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. WBG semiconductor materials allow power electronic components to be made smaller, faster, more reliable and more efficient than the current silicon (Si)-based models and these new components could transform the American energy economy.
Watch President Obama’s Jan. 15 speech at NC State.
This is where the ISE research team, led by Associate Professor Ola Harrysson, gets involved. With a budget of $500,000, Dr. Harrysson, along with Harvey West, Research Associate Professor; Ron Aman, Research Scholar; and Tim Horn, Research Scholar, will begin working on developing the 3D structure of the power module using ISE’s 3D printers located in our Laboratory for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics. This will likely involve the 3D printing of multiple materials simultaneously.
The innovations developed by the Next Generation Power Electronics Innovation Institute will give US manufacturers a head start in the emerging WBG market. The government estimates that the WBG share of the international lighting market alone will reach $84 billion by 2020.
Watch College of Engineering Dean, Dr. Louis Martin-Vega, discuss NC State’s commitment to energy technology.
The Five Universities: North Carolina State [Lead], Arizona State University, Florida State University, University of California at Santa Barbara and Virginia Tech.
The 18 Companies: ABB, APEI, Avogy, Cree, Delphi, Delta Products, DfR Solutions, Gridbridge, Hesse Mechantronics, II-VI, IQE, John Deere, Monolith Semiconductor, RF Micro Devices, Toshiba International, Transphorm, USCi and Vacon.